heights

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   a high place or area, such as hills or a high part of a town

   Grammar: Usually used with 'the': 'the heights'. It can take a plural verb when it means several high places.

   Patterns

   • the heights of something
   • from the heights
   • up in the heights

   The village sits on the heights above the river.

   From the heights, you can see the whole valley.

   They built their house in the heights north of the city.

2. 2nounpluralfigurative

   the highest or most extreme level of something, such as success or emotion

   Grammar: Often used in phrases like 'the heights of fame' or 'reach new heights'.

   Patterns

   • the heights of something
   • reach new heights
   • rise to the heights

   She reached the heights of her profession by age forty.

   The band rose to new heights with their second album.

   His anger reached such heights that he could not speak.

3. 3nounplural

   a feeling of fear when you are high up and look down

   Grammar: Used in the phrase 'afraid of heights' or 'a fear of heights'.

   Patterns

   • afraid of heights
   • a fear of heights
   • scared of heights

   I can't climb that tower because I'm afraid of heights.

   Her fear of heights stopped her from becoming a pilot.

   He doesn't mind flying, but he has a fear of heights.

Common combinations

reach new heights

The company reached new heights of success last year.

afraid of heights

She is afraid of heights, so she never looks down.

the heights of power

He rose to the heights of power in just a few years.

from the heights

From the heights, the city lights looked like stars.

Synonyms and how they differ

summit

This is the top of a mountain or a meeting of leaders, while 'heights' is a more general word for any high place or high level.

peaks

This refers to pointed tops of mountains or the highest points of a graph, but 'heights' can also mean an area of high ground.

altitudes

This is a technical word for height above sea level, not used for a place or for success.

Opposites

Word family

height noun

how tall or high something is

heighten verb

to make a feeling or effect stronger

high adjective

tall or far above the ground

Commonly confused: heights or hights?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “heights”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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